quinta-feira, 28 de junho de 2012

First of all, we want to
thank you for supporting our new album and crowdfunding project on PPL!

As promised, we have a
bunch of goodies in store for all of you who believe in the band and invested
in advance to help make this the best album possible, TOGETHER!

For starters, we are
sending you High Quality 320kb MP3s of 2 advance tracks: the new single, 'Seeds
Among The Rain', and the unreleased B-side, 'Won't Come Up Clean',
are only being made available exclusively and in advance to those who invested
in this crowdfunding campaign!

Remember,
these are EXCLUSIVE downloads which we are only making available to YOU, so we
trust that these songs will not end up in 'file-sharing'. After all, WE are all
investing in this TOGETHER and only YOU deserve to have access to all the
exclusives we'll be making available!

Should you play these songs for your friends? Hell yeah, let them know what
they're missing out on! The songs will be available in streaming, on our
Soundcloud account, so if they want to listen, they can, but only YOU own them
and have the right to take them and play them anywhere you want! These are
exciting times for us and our fans, and this is just the beginning, as we are
joining forces with all those who believe in this band to help build a solid
Primitive Reason Community!

The use of crowdfunding to
fund independent artists' works is already well established internationally,
but here in Portugal it's a fairly new concept. Thus, we would like to ask you
for further help, not financially, but in promoting the project. Using the true
potential of the Internet and "viral" promotion, we aim to test the
ability of an artist and their fans to launch a viral campaign, where every fan
who supports the project is involved, not only with their direct support, but
also in attracting new fans.

If we each get 3 more supporters, and if these three people, in the spirit of
viral Crowdfunding and support for Power to the People, in turn attract three
more supporters, we are certain that the challenge will be well met!

So, with all our
appreciation, we're counting on you to help make this project a true success...
TOGETHER!

The
mission: Raising funds and Building a Community that is directly involved in
bringing about the success of this new album.

segunda-feira, 25 de junho de 2012

Like it or not, the crowd is good for VCs and angels. Many big name investors fear the prospect of messy cap tables and unsophisticated investors ruining deals, but there are some VCs who get it: crowdfunding is here, so embrace it and take advantage of the opportunity it presents. Here’s why:

Crowdfunding opens up time for VCs to focus on what matters to them

Simply put, there is much more demand for capital than the amount supplied by VCs and angels. This means VCs drink from a firehose of deals coming at them. They have to come up with sniff tests, ruling out businesses right away just so they can manage the amount of deals. Crowdfunding is a more scalable model that can handle the excessive deal flow, freeing up time for VCs to focus on the businesses that are in their wheelhouse.

Crowdfunding acts as a deal pipeline for VCs and angels

VCs usually are focused on ‘hockey stick’ growth opportunities. They’re usually on the hook with their own investors to keep up with return expectations, so they have to find businesses who can meet those targets. This limits the business growth stages they can support. Crowdfunding acts as a conduit for businesses currently outside of VCs’ scope. They can send those deals to a crowdfunding platform, watch the seed grow and gain validation, and get back in the deal at the right time for them!

Many of the businesses crowdfunders will invest in don’t need VCs.

Crowdfunding can support any industry and any type of business. It can support the high-growth industries that VCs play in, and it can support more mature growth industries. With crowdfunding, businesses are not only raising capital, they’re advertising to their end consumers at the same time. This results in a much broader impact than any one VC would have.

The worry about having a messy cap table is overblown

Many businesses that VCs currently evaluate have messy cap tables and organizational docs as it is. Crowdfunding is not creating a new problem when it comes to the organizational skills of entrepreneurs. In fact, the technology utilized by crowdfunding intermediaries can actually improve the quality of documents VCs review by implementing standardization. Good crowdfunding intermediaries should understand the mechanics of a company’s cap table and structure the investment in a manner that does not compromise subsequent financing, if that is a possibility. All in all, crowdfunding can make a VCs job easier when evaluating investment opportunities.

Some VCs and angels have voiced an opposition to crowdfunding, but they’ll learn to love it. More capital = more successful businesses. Get ready.

" Between 2007 and 2011, deposits increased 130 percent to €3.7 billion (about $4.7 billion); the number of account holders almost tripled, to 363,000; the amount of money loaned almost tripled, to €2.8 billion (about $3.5 billion); and the number of loans issued more than tripled, to 21,900."

segunda-feira, 4 de junho de 2012

To finish off our stay in Silicon Valley, nothing like a cocktail and networking event with members of BayBrazil, PALCUS – Portuguese American Leadership Council in the US, PAPS - Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society, Black Founders San Francisco and with the local business community at Autodesk Gallery, One Market Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco.

We returned to the famous Autodesk gallery to have a celebration of a week full of inspiration, networking and sharing of the will to take action. PPL Crowdfunding Portugal still had the chance to do one last pitch on the virtues of Portuguese speaking entrepreneurial projects that give the opportunity to investors from anywhere in the world to become part of the concept, invest in interestingly different ideas and support young entrepreneurs get their much needed seed and pre-seed capital for lift off.

Alas Silicon Dreams may one day come true. The tremendous motivational capital gathered through this intensive week will no doubt serve as nourishment to keep dreaming, keep doing and keep failing in order to succeed!
A special thank you to the Global Strategic Innovation International Executive Program run by the Leadership Business Consulting (LBC) Group, that were outstanding in their efforts and dedication to a fully successful Silicon Valley Immersion.

Rather than describing the deeply inspiring atmosphere and message, the story behind the shopping cart concept done for ABC’s nightline (which you can see below), we leave you with the IDEO’s guiding principles and now ours:

Defer Judgement

Encourage Wild Ideas

Build on the Ideas of Others

Stay Focused on Topic

One Conversation at a Time

Be Visual

Go for Quantity

Are these guys design thinking or is Design Thinking IDEO?
Disruptively encouraging:

It’s not about how much we earn, it’s about how much we learn

The longer you are at IDEO the less you know what you are doing

Bring your passions to work

You are your own brand

Strategy is a reflection, not a vision

We don’t know what’s the destination but we have a great sense of direction

In summary, this company defends that Cultures of Innovation are Cultures of Learning, that Entrepreneurship is a Mindset, not a Startup and that… eventually… The Network Takes Over, The Company Dies.
A big lesson for a crowdfunding startup like PPL Crowdfunding Portugal.

“Plug and Play Tech Center is a global accelerator that specializes in growing tech startups.Headquartered in Sunnyvale California, Plug and Play’s network includes over 300 tech startups, 180 investors and a community of leading Universities and Corporate partners.”

Accelerated over 1,000 startups since 2006

Community of over 300 startups

Outreach to over 3,000 startups in Silicon Valley

Startups have raised over $ 1 B in venture funding since 2006

Relationships with 100 corporate partners

Relationships with over 180 VC partners

Santa Clara University “The main traits of a Serial Entrepreneur” with Jorge Fernandes, CEO of Mobibucks

Jorge Fernandes is a renowned serial entrepreneur counting several successes in his repertoire.
PPL Crowdfunding Portugal is only too happy to have Jorge as part of its Advisory Board Member and so to benefit from the first hand advice of this reference in the field.

Jorge inspired the team with his account of Silicon Valley misadventures and challenges of making it big.
In particular, he shared some of the challenges of launching something relevant in the ever so competitive mobile payments sector.
His strategy, repeated over 16 times: find the unique technological advance that resolves the tremendous challenge to society and… patent it!

Jorge is relentless in his pursuit of innovative excellence and although his legacy shows incredibly prosperous activity, he is serene in his approach and clear in his strategy. One ingredient serves as a differentiating factor; he believes in and is pragmatic in pursuing his dreams.
Sleep with a notebook next to your bedside!

With an exclusive lineup of successful and noteworthy entrepreneurs, we took list of a set of the most practical and applicable tips for achieving results, not just in Silicon Valley as the theme implied, but rather across the world as you can confirm with the thinking below.

Johnny Gerardes (Datacell and Mowaiter), Bernardo Seabra (Playdom and Brightworld), Hugo Bernardo (Picto and Easyvino), Norberto Guimarães (Cleversense and now working at Google, after selling Cleversense to the current employer), Pedro Vieira (the Goodguide) and Daniel de la Rosa (zyni-group) spelt it out for us:

“Stop thinking, start doing” – this is worth reflecting on! No strategic plans. No detailed business plans. No 5 year forecast on financial plans. Action! Start doing. Get out of your desk. Get out of your home. Interview, engage, talk, ask, validate. Pivot. Fail. Re-start. Do!

For a Silicon Valley venture, remember: The CEO needs to be in the valley. Preferably so should the CTO. The rest of the team can be wherever internet reaches.

Two very common mistakes all entrepreneurs do on landing in the valley:

Start looking for funding straight away

Portray a value proposition that is not focussed in just 1 or maximum 2 core business activities. In Portugal and other smaller European countries, startups often have to execute tens of value propositions just to survive. They will offer any related services to their core offering in order to generate some revenues. To succeed and grow fast in the market, one should focus the value proposition and excel at it.

Before asking for money, get informational interviews with VC’s and Angel Investors. Meet them, ask for their advice, validate your offering, debate the potential, the assumptions, question your logic with them. Later, go ask them for funding.

Watch out young entrepreneur, it’s easy to get yourself lost and out of focus amidst all the events and challenges. If you’re good and you have a winning concept, you should spend the large majority of your time… doing nothing else!

Be careful with too much money. The world is abound with stories of failed startups that were sure bets, only to find themselves drowning in money, not smart, but drying up in ideas and initiative to excel.

Last but not least, if you plan to open up shop in Silicon Valley, invest in your legal support. You will need it, from emigration support to branding and patent issuing to the actual setup of your company.

Yes, it takes 12 to 15 months to establish a solid network in the valley

You do need working capital in order to sustain yourself and the team during that period

There is a requirement to acquire funding in the US, you must show relevant US clients and an operation that is successful in the US

US investors consider foreign entrepreneurs only if they move over to the US to continue their business

You may consider this option, but a critical success factor to accomplish this is traction in your home country.

Needless to say you should be prepared to work very hard and be able to handle the incredible speed of events. It pays to stay up to date with all the news, the ins and outs of the tech startup world.
Emphasis given to the signing of the JOBS Act by President Obama and the passing into law of Crowdfunding Equity based, which will create a considerable shift in the funding markets.

A good reference is always Kauffman’s Foundation StartupDigest

Cisco’s M&A and Strategy & Innovation strategy

Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn (Vice-President/General Manager) and Tiago da Costa Silva (Project Manager, IT) presented us several ideas and the core of Cisco’s guiding lines for their strategic approach to the market.

The insights were relevant and applicable to any industry, asking us to stay alert to the world around us:

Trends and Opportunities to watch out for:

Pervasive video – in 2014, 91% of traffic on the network will be video

Communication is the main resource driver

Mobility will become mainstream

Globalization is in everyone’s backyard

For Cisco, the top five priorities are all related with “The New Frontier in Networking”:

Collaboration tools

Video (video conferencing anywhere)

Data Centre and virtualization. Cloud services become mainstream.

The technical architecture becomes more relevant to support complex functionality

Core routing and switching services will continue to be Cisco’s core business

In their own words, Cisco invests, not because they have to be first in any given market or trend, but because they better be there when the biggest wave hits, otherwise one can be crushed.

Tom Byers, responsible for entrepreneurship at Stanford presented an introduction to Silicon Valley and the ecosystem that thrives.
Quoting Howard Stevenson from Harvard Business School clarified that “Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regards to resources controlled”.
Furthermore, Tom emphasized the need to align closely the academic world and the entrepreneurial world. Stanford promotes this through Roundtables on Entrepreneurship Education and having available 24 X 7 the Entrepreneurship Corner.

Burton Lee, was undoubtedly a highlight of the day, if not the entire trip.

“Focus on product and service design and then build your entrepreneurial venture around that”.What’s hot in Silicon Valley today:

Mobile

Gaming

Big Data

Social Networks

Crowdfunding

Cloud Computing

Product Design

Burton went on to tell us what the key elements of innovation ecosystems are (institutions and roles, markets, communities, the government and service providers) and the structured chaos that Silicon Valley consists of.

There are key differences between the US and Europe in their ability to promote such ecosystems. These differences appear in the cultural settings, the networks that exist and are created, the decision process speed and efficiency and the role of government. Thought leadership is significantly different ant Burton explained how characteristics such as leading by example, challenging “business as usual” and “processes as usual” are key to promote these fertile environments.

Of very practical relevance, here are the top 10 mistakes entrepreneurs make in Silicon Valley that Burton Lee shared with us:

Poor management of professional relationships

Showing up wearing a tie

Not taking Social Media seriously

Wasting people’s time

Not being prepared and “doing your homework”

Do not secure a good law firm, or work through their law firm for introductions

Poor professional and social networking strategies

Spend too much time with the wrong people

Spend too much time with fellow countrymen, instead of broadening and deepening network

Language (poor English language skills)

Lack of curiosity and interest in exploring new ideas / people

Age-related bias and assumptions

At Stanford we still hear Paul Marca tell us about “Interdisciplinary Collaboration”. Somehow all keynote speakers and editors of the Economist seem to be in tune regarding the need and tendency to join multiple background and skilled experts to produce the most innovative solutions. Collective intelligence really kicks in once you join, not just a crowd, but a crowd of multi-disciplinary experts that collaborate with each other.

In a world of digital relations, physical proximity still plays a critical role.

A visit to Stanford would not be complete without an appreciation for its D-School (for Design). Professor Banny Banerjee took us through Stanford Design Thinking. It is a means of tapping into sources of organic growth within an organization. The perspective on value is taken from the end-user’s viewpoint. Solving real end-user needs will yield the highest value to all stakeholders.
D-School’s approach to Design Thinking problem resolution rely on experiential research of end-user needs. A cycle of idea modelling and iteration allows for rapid learning and improvement.
And so Stanford invites students to join them… in failure!

Design Research on Advanced Technology at Autodesk, with Mark Davis (Director).

Inspired by the Economist’s most recent article and special report on The Third Industrial Revolution we witnessed first-hand what it means for manufacturing to be going digital.

Autodesk, the birthplace of the famous Autocad program, has an exhibition of the state of the art products of high tech manufacturing technology in its San Francisco offices. It’s not just the life size 3D printed Mercedes or a Harley-Davidson like model of a bike that impresses you, the examples of what is being done today is jaw dropping. Yes all the products on the exhibit table have been produced by Autodesk. Yes all the different materials like iron, epoxy, plastic, carbon, rubber and more that you see were injected into a mould utilizing 3D technologies.

How far off are we from buying our Nike shoes online and downloading them to print at home? Our guide was quick to answer not far at all. In fact, today, you can already go to some flagship stores of Nike, have your foot measured and then print a custom shoe that is adjusted to the sport you practice, is soft where you like and hard where you need and looks just like the design you need.

More relevantly and also as the article explains, the need to have designers, engineers, financiers and operations workforce engage tightly so as to produce these innovations combined with the fact that manual labour is an ever decreasing share of the value chain, jobs are now beginning to shift back West from some cheaper labour Eastern locations in relevant industries.

Later in our trip we visited IDEO itself and felt in person the spirit John referred to often. In short, Design Thinking let’s you incorporate the entire customer experience from the very beginning of his relationship with your organization.
“Your journey starts here” applies to all our businesses.

Interesting examples from the air travel industry refer to how an airline considers the reservations and payment processes to be critical for the customer experience of flying with them as well as the car parking satisfaction of the client, because his journey obviously starts considerably earlier to boarding the flight.
Similar out of the box thinking, led IDEO to adopt an experimental strategy for airport security which has yielded significant results and is now being applied at several other facilities. The technique is simple enough, yet incredibly effective. At critical security points in an airport, where travellers are inspected and security checked, officers are trained to treat people… extremely nicely! Correct, they are just very polite! Result: conspicuous characters are left uncomfortable whilst everyone else joins in the good mood. Body heat scanners and the trained eye more easily detect these characters that require further investigation.

At IDEO, there is no vacation policy. Employees are free to take vacation as often as desired and for as long as desired. The savings regarding scheduling, approvals and workflows are considerable, employee satisfaction is positively affected and a sense of professional responsibility avoids any potential delivery impact.

In short: “PPL Crowdfunding is an engaging meeting room for entrepreneurial projects to find funds, resources and co-creators. Think Crowdfunding meets Crowdsourcing, Kickstarter meets Amazon Turks”.
Our pitch practice and feedback came at a perfect timing as we would resort to this skill frequently over the time at San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto.

From the 21st to the 28th of April 2012, the PPL Crowdfunding Portugal team, represented by Paulo Silva Pereira, was present in the Global Strategic Innovation International Executive Program for a Silicon Valley Immersion.

This program is run by the Leadership Business Consulting (LBC) Group, with the intention to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, internationalization and exports. This is achieved through an intensive deep dive week of Strategic Innovation Training, Interaction with Champions and Subject Matter Experts, extensive Networking and Business Acceleration opportunities.

In short, by meeting the experts, learning from the best and networking with all, one enhances the business vision and potential of any initiative. This year’s program benefitted from exposure to especially talented and experienced experts and also from the diversity of the group itself attending.
The group had the most diverse backgrounds from a cultural, geographical and business perspective. Professionals from several Portuguese reference organizations participated such as ANA Airports, Brisa Innovation, EDP Innovation, eVolve (Hydrogen Technologies), Inov Ines Innovation, LFP Lojas Francas from Portugal, Consulting companies, PPL Crowdfunding Portugal, several key organizations from the district of Aveiro in Portugal, representatives of Autofax and Embraer from Brazil and stakeholders from private and governmental organizations of Cape Verde, Angola and Mozambique.

The trip consisted of full activity planned days at San Francisco and San Jose, California, USA, in a region better known as Silicon Valley.
We kicked off the program with intro sessions delivered by Carlos Oliveira and Torben Rankine from LBC followed by a short brief on “Doing Business in the USA” with Ana Sofia Silva O’Hara, AICEP’s Director in San Francisco (AICEP is the Portuguese agency for commerce and investment abroad).
The week unfolded full of enlightening learning, fruitful networking and endless ideation and sharing.